The Most Amazing and Awe-inspiring Cave Paintings Around the World

The Paleolithic Age/ Stone Age is considered as the age when man set foot on the ground of inventions and discoveries. Life, during the Stone Age, flourished much in the aspect of expressions of artistic visions; the most significant being cave paintings.

ArtHearty Staff

Last Updated: Oct 31, 2018

During the time when there was no provision for paint brushes and colors, prehistoric humans found an interesting way to give fire to their imagination - at the initial stage, the mode of painting was limited to hand, but later it was replaced by brushes made of animal hair, reeds, and even bones for spraying colors.

Also, the colors constituted of local and natural sources, such as charcoal, clay ocher, flower petals, and vegetable extracts. Animal fats were used to dilute colors.

One of the oldest and most famous cave paintings in Spain, the Cave of Altamira depicts multicolored figures of animals that once inhabited that area.

The designs of various extinct species of bison, doe, horse, and boar depict the Spanish culture. The image of the Stone Age bison has also been taken up by a famous nicotine brand as its logo.

Abundant with wondrous rock formations and nature's bounty, the Magura Cave in Bulgaria is equally famous for its unsurpassed iconic paintings; rather a record of the time from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. They are also representative of the various tribal ceremonies and rituals followed during that time.

Lying in the lap of vast grounds of the Pinturas river in Argentina, this group of caves dates back 13,000 years.

Apart from hunting practices, the paintings here also depict human hands painted in varied colors, that were sprayed with pipes made of bones, and other fascinating painting techniques used during those days.

A testimony to the existence of Prehistoric Asian races on the Indian subcontinent, the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters bear a mythological as well as cultural significance in the history of India.

Surrounded with splendid natural vistas and wildlife sanctuaries, these famous cave paintings show the life of ancestry dating to the Stone Age.

Amidst the sanguine plateaus of the sun-baked Arnhem Land cliffs lie a series of hidden rocks. These are scribbled with mesmerizing doodles, depicting the aboriginal culture and myths popular among the bygone tribes of Australia.

The Mogao Caves, also sometimes referred as the Dunhuang Caves, are one of the most famous among the three artistic caves in China. These caves are significant for being the prime place of meditation and worship among Buddhist followers, and also was a huge library of various Bodhisattva scriptures and teachings.

Discovered by a group of wanderlust teenagers, these famous cave sites and paintings are in France, with an antiquity of more than 17,000 years. The caves have the basic art of animals, like horses, bears, rhinos, human figures, and the act of hunting and poaching.

Due to the higher number of tourist visits, the rocks started to deteriorate, which resulted in an extensive process of restoration and preservation.

Situated in the Maharashtra region of India, these caves present a pristine view of various Indian folk tales and theological preachings of the Buddhist religion.

Once a group of monasteries, these caves are also a purveyor of the centuries of Feudal history of the country. Surrounded by lush greenery and dense forests, this is a famous trekking spot among adventure lovers across the world.

With a surreal view of the open skies and green rock valleys, this mountain range can deceive any onlooker with its sheer beauty and bounty.

Not only is the range worth seeing, but also the underlying rock paintings which are a hidden treasure on the lands of Mexico; illustrating the life and livelihood, common day-to-day affairs of the lesser known Cochimí tribe of the country.